A little overreaction action

 And now for a new Blob feature that's not really a feature, because it probably won't reappear unless, like today, the Blob needs an angle, a hook, or, you know, JUST SOMETHING TO WRITE.

("Does this mean you're running out of ideas? Does it mean your ability to post stupid and annoying stuff has finally jumped the shark and the Blob will go the way of Betamax, AOL and Tone Loc?" you're saying, hopefully.)

No. No it does not.

("Oh. Darn.")

Sorry. But I was cruising the interwhatsis checking out various reactions to Indiana's 1-2 start and the Indianapolis Colts' 0-2 start, and it occurred to me that Overreactions We Have Known might be a relevant theme here.

And so, here we go ...

1. "Oh, no, Indiana is as Indiana as ever! Last year was a mirage! Tom Allen is a cheap knockoff of the same old cheap knockoff! Bench Penix! Bench everybody! Fire Allen and bring in a name coach, like Kevin Wilson! That guy was a class act!"

O-kay. First of all, let's look at the "2" in Indiana's 1-2 record.

Granted, Iowa crushed them in the opener. And the Hoosiers looked like they took the Throwback Uni thing one step further and decided just to be throwback everything. Ah, the glory days! Remember them? Remember the thrill of watching your Hoosiers average 1.2 yards per carry and trail Woody Hayes 69-7 at halftime? Remember how losing to Illinois at home by only two scores made you feel all warm and fuzzy inside?

Well ...   this is not that. These Hoosiers are not those Hoosiers.

Iowa, to start with, is now 3-0 and ranked fifth, after smoking then-No. 8 Iowa State 27-17 a week after smoking IU, and taking care of business against Kent State on Saturday. The Hawkeyes have given up three touchdowns in three games. They're giving up 10 points per game so far. They're, you know, really good.

And Cincinnati?

Indiana had the No. 8 Bearcats down 14-10 at the half and 24-23 with a quarter to play, which is not exactly an indication that they're on the verge of regressing to the days when Lee Corso would call timeout so he could take a picture of the scoreboard when Indiana somehow scored first against Ohio State. 

No, the Hoosiers went toe-to-toe with Cincy. And, yeah, they did some Indiana things in the fourth quarter, and Michael Penix threw three costly picks, and they wound losing 38-24. But they're better and deeper up front than maybe they've ever been, and they're getting it done on the recruiting side, and all of that will eventually tell. 

Chill, people.

2. "Oh, no, the COLTS ARE 0-2!! Wentz is hurt again (big surprise there)! The offensive line couldn't block moonlight! There's no running game! The wideouts can't get open! And who's the imposter wearing Darius Leonard's jersey? THE SEASON IS OVER!"

Well ... OK. So a lot of that is true.

Wentz went limping off with a sprained ankle yesterday, as the Rams won 27-24. Aaron Donald and all the other mean boys chased him around the playground all afternoon, sacking him three times and making him run for his life all the other times. Jonathan Taylor scratched out a pedestrian 3.4 yards per carry. Cooper Kupp torched the secondary with nine catches for 163 yards and two scores, and Leonard, the Colts' All-Pro linebacker, had just four solo tackles.

However.

However, the season runs for another three-and-a-half months, according to my calendar. They still get Jacksonville and Houston twice each. They get the Jets, America's Dump Truck. They get the Dolphins, who just got turned into road pizza at home by the Bills, 35-0.  

Wentz will heal, and he's been pretty good so far: Three touchdowns, one pick, a 65 percent completion rate in two games. He's been sacked six times, but the O-line's a screen door right now and Wentz has been more adept at ducking other potential sacks than most people guessed he would be. And the O-line will get better once Julien Davenport, the supermarket greeter playing right tackle, is back on the sideline instead of playing right tackle.

Does this mean the Colts are going to the Super Bowl?

No.

Does this mean they aren't kind of a mess in spots -- like, say, the defensive backfield?

No.

Does it mean the playoffs are already out of reach?

Well ... no.

It's a long, l-o-n-g season. Stuff happens. I mean, come on, the Washington Football Team won the NFC East last year with a 7-9 record. Anything is possible.

OK, so not everything. But the Colts' season isn't over, so enough hand-wringing.

That goes for you, too, IU Guy.